Hello Kotaku, and welcome to a new week of open threads. It's beautiful in North America, but apparently quite cold in Australia where Mr. Plunkett lives. If you're somewhere warm, I hope you've been getting outside.

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Perhaps you have heard all the buzz around master writer (and West Wing, Sports Night, and Studio 60 creator) Aaron Sorkin's new show The Newsroom?

There was a period of time when I thought The West Wing was one of the greatest TV shows ever made, and there have been periods when I've rolled my eyes so hard at his writing that they got stuck in my head (see: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip).

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Lately, it's been something of a roller-coaster ride with regard to how I feel about his work. I loved Charlie Wilson's War, didn't really love The Social Network, and while I'll wait until I see The Newsroom until I render judgment, early word… does not have me optimistic.

In a smart move, HBO has made the entire first episode free on YouTube, so you can check it out and decide for yourself. Word has it that the quality of the show declines steeply from the premiere, but I guess non-screener-owning civilians like me will just have to wait until the show airs in real time to formulate an opinion.

In the meantime, take a trip down memory lane with this amazing new video of "Sorkinisms," which hilariously charts the many, many (many!) lines and riffs that he reuses. It's really quite something! Don't talk to it like it's other people! You think? Can I help you? You bet!

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I've been re-watching some early West Wing lately, and I enjoy how his familiar beats repeat themselves. My criticisms of some of his content notwithstanding, I've always thought of Sorkin's dialogue as a sort of musical performance, and it's fitting that like a musician, he has a number of riffs that he reuses. This video is very funny, in an affectionate sort of way.

What is your favorite Aaron Sorkin show or movie? Have you seen The Newsroom? Did you like it? If they made a video game about cable news, how would it work?

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Feel free to discuss those questions, or anything else. The Open Thread is yours.